Mitchell First World War Memorial and Memorial Obelisk

The Mitchell First World War memorial was designed and produced by the monumental masonry firm of A.L. Petrie of Toowong, Brisbane and commemorates the fifty-one local residents who served during that war. The memorial costs around £460 to build with this amount being raised from within the local community.

The memorial is constructed of sandstone and granite, sitting on a stepped concrete base with cast iron posts fixed into the lower step, with a tall central pillar being the main feature. The front face bears the inscription, “Their Name Liveth Forever More”. Recessed plates of polished red granite bear the cut and originally gilded names of those fifty-one residents who served from the community. On the uppermost section of the front plate is an AIF badge or insignia. The Mitchell War Memorial is believed to be the only memorial of its type and design in Queensland.

Planning for the memorial began as early as the latter stages of the war, but the raising of funds did not get underway in earnest until 1920. The Brisbane Courier reported on 4 December 1920 that subscriptions for the memorial had opened and called for discussions as to what form the memorial should take. Over the next few years, various newspapers continued to report on the raising of funds as well as the various discussions about the proposed design of the memorial. Apart from a free standing memorial, other suggestions included a memorial swimming pool and a memorial ward at the local hospital.

The memorial was unveiled in 1927 by Major General Sir Thomas W. Glasgow and bears the dedication, “Erected by the residents in honour of those who paid the supreme sacrifice and in appreciation of those who took part in the Great War”. The memorial stands in a park setting with large memorial gate posts and is surrounded by cast iron posts which are decorated by finials. A war trophy gun was originally situated at the front of the memorial, but this has been moved at some point.

There is also a small sandstone obelisk situated in the local cemetery. It displays a plaque which commemorates the unknown soldiers of the First and Second World Wars from the region.

Mitchell War Memorial, 1933

This photograph shows the Mitchell War Memorial in 1933, with the war trophy gun in its original position at the front of the memorial.

Brian Randall, Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland.